Fortitude
by Dread Pirate Rinja
Summary: Ukitake learns a valuable lesson about his younger fellow Shirou–chan. Ukitake and Hitsugaya - a friendship fic, of sorts.
1. Part I

_Disclaimer: Bleach and all affiliated characters and settings are the creative property of the amazing Kubo Tite and all the companies he's managed to rope in with the idea. I'm only borrowing his world for a bit._

_Warnings: __violence and whumping, language, and spoilers if you're only watching the anime (this takes place during the current manga arc). This was borderline T, so I bumped it to M to be on the safe side.  
_

* * *

_**Long list of terminology**__ (for which I blame KT and lame English translations):_

_bakudou_ – kidou with binding and summoning properties  
_gigai –_ these are the fake mortal bodies that Urahara makes so that shinigami can run around the Living World with all appearances of being normal humans.  
_hadou –_ kidou with more destructive properties  
_Hyourinmaru_ – literally, "ice ring;" this is Hitsugaya's zanpakutou's name.  
_karesansui_ – Japanese/Zen rock garden  
_kidou –_ attacks by shinigami that require a concentration of reiatsu  
_raikouhou –_ hadou 63's official title, and the best translation I found is "Lightning Tiger Canon"  
_reiatsu_ – spirit power, used by shinigami  
_sennen hyourou_ – 1000 years' ice prison (one of Hitsugaya's bankai attacks)  
_Sougyo no Kotowari –_ literally, "Parable of the Twin Fish;" this is Ukitake's zanpakutou's name.  
_soukatsui_ – hadou 33's official title, and the best translation I found is "Way of Destruction"  
_zanpakutou –_ I believe the English version is calling this a "Soul Slayer," or something like that; as I've been exposed to the Japanese versions of the series, I'll be using this term.

_Feel free to ask if there are any other terms you don't know!_

* * *

_Blame for this story goes out to Kellen because her awesome one-shot "Whisper" and the Hitsu-whump LiveJournal community (which Kel and I started together, so haha on me) inspired me to do some more Hitsu-whumping, and also a little to a Love Drop doujinshi entitled "Love Fight!" (Don't ask. XD)_

_I'd like to thank the following people for giving me enough encouragement to post it at all: Kellen, Davan, and Warg. So much love.  
_

* * *

**Foritude**

_Part I_

Luppi was a damned fool.

Yammi knew that much; Luppi had gotten himself killed because he'd provoked the wrong person. While Yammi wasn't smart, even he was wise enough to know that Grimmjow was someone that should not be messed with. Grimmjow answered only to Aizen, and even then he still gave trouble to Aizen's highest advisors. Luppi had been brashly snooty towards the one-armed Grimmjow after he'd taken his place in the Espada, and that alone was asking for trouble.

But damned if Yammi didn't feel like Hueco Mundo was so much less interesting without Luppi around. Even if Luppi was a foul-mouthed, pompously arrogant ass, he was a strong comrade who didn't belittle Yammi's intelligence nearly as badly as most of the other Arrancar he'd had the extreme displeasure of working with.

When Grimmjow had thrust his newly-regenerated hand through Luppi's chest and then blasted him to pieces with a cero, only one part of the smaller Arrancar had remained – part of the bone cowl that had rested on Luppi's head. Yammi hoped it would be enough.

After all, if that new girl Aizen had brought back from the Living World was capable of restoring Grimmjow's arm without it even being there, perhaps she would be able to bring Luppi back. She would be alone for now, too; everyone else was too busy fluttering about the new set of unwelcome guests who had come to take her back.

They wouldn't get far – Yammi knew that even if he wasn't there to see it for himself. He didn't care too much; they didn't need his help keeping the pests at bay. All he wanted was to find that healer-chick before she got caught up in the action.

The girl was sitting in her quarters, staring out the window with a sad expression. Not that Yammi had expected much more than that, since the girl clearly missed her home and friends, but at the same time, she'd chosen to come here, hadn't she? It was her own fault, so she didn't have much of an excuse to mope about it.

She looked surprised when he approached her, holding out Luppi's bone cowl. Even if she didn't agree to his request at first, she was a mere human – and all humans were easily persuaded.

"I want you to do something for me," he said without a further word of greeting.

* * *

It was the break of dawn. Ukitake knew this, because he was suddenly awake – he generally awoke at sunrise, whether he wished to or no. Though he often would go back to sleep after a small meal and a little meditation, he'd found long ago that he genuinely loved this part of the day the most. The air outside his chamber was crisp, fresh dew giving the earth a damp scent that only accentuated the pleasing aroma of the garden's lilies, and the smell was strongest in the morning. It was quiet, save for the distant sound of the very few shinigami that preferred to practice kata or train during the earlier hours of the day. His illness didn't seem to bother him as much at this time, either. Early morning was the best time to meditate. 

He knew without looking that there would be a tray outside his door with a mug of green tea, a small satchel of crushed medicinal herbs, and a full breakfast. It was there every morning, most likely a service that had originally been organized by Shiba Kaien, and had been continued by Kiyone, one of the two current third seats. Her sister was the fourth division's lieutenant; it made sense that she would have the connections necessary to get his medicine.

This morning's air was exceptionally crisp, Ukitake realized as he slid the paper door open to the courtyard. There was a small karesansui within eyesight of his door that he often liked to use as a focal point for meditation. But before he could do that, he pulled in his breakfast tray and made sure to eat it before it went cold. This morning's menu was grilled fish, omelet, and pickles – he was pleased, but would have liked to see sour plums as well – along with the usual rice and white miso. It wouldn't take long for him to eat it all. Besides, he would probably eat again in a few hours.

After taking his breakfast – and medicine – he placed the tray back outside his door and kept the mug of tea to himself. Settling onto the porch, he stared out over the karesansui, studying the pebble formations and allowing it to clear his mind.

Today, however, his mind refused to be cleared. Something was bothering him, and while meditation tended to be an incredibly valuable means of bringing such issues forward, this time was different. He wasn't upset by any means, but for some reason, he felt as though he should be. Frowning, he tried to think of anything that might upset him, but none of the things he could think of were a problem at the moment. For all he knew, he was just feeling unnaturally crabby on a very beautiful morning. Perhaps he had eaten something that hadn't settled well with him the previous evening.

No, the candy was probably not a good idea. Then again, he'd managed to coax the young Hitsugaya into taking some of it off his hands. Hitsugaya's lieutenant, Matsumoto, had been with him at the time; they had been reassigned back to Soul Society once the ryoka Kurosaki and his friends had gone to rescue one of their own. Matsumoto seemed to get a kick out of the fact that her young superior had actually accepted the candy. Hitsugaya had looked embarrassed, come to think of it. Ah, well. He was young and resilient, and would recover just fine from the rather small humiliation. That was, if his lieutenant would let him forget about it.

The thought made him smile, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. With a sigh, he decided that perhaps a walk would do him more good than meditation at this point. Pulling on his dark uniform and white captain's haori, Ukitake took a deep breath as he stepped into the hallway.

As the sun was not yet up, the hallways of the complex were still rather dark and silent; there were quiet hours by which Seireitei citizens had to abide by. The forest by the creek would be a nice place to walk this time of day, Ukitake decided, so once he was outside the complex, he meandered in that general direction. As he had only one item on his list for the day – outside of the usual paperwork and a little research – he was glad to know he could take his time, as long as he was back in time to catch the captain's meeting just before noon.

The woods were relatively quiet, and it was cool in the shade of the trees. Here, the air smelled of damp earth and underbrush, a smell that was both oddly calming and yet invigorating. Ukitake was able to let his mind wander freely as he walked along the dirt path; he hoped that he would at least be able to calm some of the unease that was boiling over in his mind. And after some time, it began to work; focusing instead on the greenery around him, he was slowly able to clear his mind and felt the tension bleed from his shoulders.

He continued walking for some time, just enjoying what he saw along the path and the fact that he actually felt rather energetic. There weren't many days that he was up to doing something like this, and while he knew he'd feel it later, for now it was a nice change.

He wasn't, however, expecting to walk all the way to the path's end at the other side of the forest. It was getting late, too – the sun was already nearly halfway up the sky. After a muttered self-rebuke with a smile and a shake of his head, Ukitake turned and quickly headed back to the complex, hoping that his presence wouldn't be missed if he was a little late.

Approaching the gate of the complex, Ukitake was utterly surprised when he saw a small hell butterfly trying to make its way to the center of the complex. Usually, the sight wouldn't surprise him, but the butterfly look like it had barely survived an attempt at having its wings removed and was having trouble staying airborne. Hurrying his steps, Ukitake gently picked the butterfly up and looked around, trying to figure out which direction it had come from, but when he learned of the message it was carrying, he froze.

_Urgent – Arrancar, Living World. Tenth's Hitsugaya-taichou requesting immediate assistance._

The butterfly had ceased moving, and disappeared from Ukitake's hands before he could demand a repeat just to make sure he'd picked up the message correctly. Hitsugaya-taichou had gone back to the Living World? Since when? A dozen other questions flooded his mind, and worry began to gnaw at his stomach. He knew he should get back-up first, but the message certainly seemed urgent. Sougyo no Kotowari vibrated at his side, preparing for trouble.

The meeting would have to wait.

* * *

What was supposed to be a quick errand back in the Living World had quickly dissolved into a nightmare. It was already mid-morning, and Hitsugaya knew he was going to be more than late to the meeting at this point, if he was going to make it at all. He knew he should have been paying more attention to his surroundings; just because Kurosaki and his crazy crew had gone traipsing off to Hueco Mundo didn't mean that all the Arrancar were going to stay put there. 

Breathing heavily, Hitsugaya leaned against the wall of the alleyway he'd managed to duck into with a _shunpo_just after the initial attack, pressing fingers experimentally into his jaw. He hissed; it wasn't broken, but it was definitely going to bruise when all was said and done. The long cut along his forearm was barely bleeding and stung a little; it wasn't life-threatening. His main concern at this point was a dramatic slice that had caught him from shoulder to hip, following the line of his sheathed zanpakutou across his back – this, he'd received just as he'd felt the sudden explosion of reiatsu behind him and had barely dodged; it hurt like hell and he could tell it was still oozing blood. He couldn't believe that he'd been caught off his guard on his way back from Urahara's, where he'd dropped off his gigai. Never mind the fact that he hadn't slept at all the night before; he'd had a monstrous amount of paperwork to do as the mission in the Living World had wrapped up. Sleep deprivation was not a valid excuse for carelessness.

Gods, he was so not in the mood for this.

"Where the hell did you run off to, you little coward?" an angry voice howled from around the corner of the alley.

That voice was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Hitsugaya winced, placing his hands over the portion of the bleeding wound that curved slightly around to his side. He was about to be discovered anyway, might as well heal himself a little in the meantime and let Soul Society know that there was trouble brewing here. With a quick kidou, he summoned a hell butterfly and gave it quick instructions, and then let it loose to free his hands for the healing kidou. He hissed as he felt the torn ends of his own flesh mend together from the inside. He didn't get far when he heard a snicker from down the alleyway, jerking his head up and hands flying to Hyourinmaru's hilt. His eyes widened as they settled on the Arrancar.

"_It's bad luck you didn't finish the job here, little taichou... Etch my face into your memories so that next time, if I kill you too fast, at least you'll know from before who did you in." _

"It's_you_," he breathed, lip curling in a snarl. "Luppi."

"I see you took my word for it, little taichou," Luppi replied with a smirk. "You're lucky you dodged that last one – it would've killed you for certain."

And it probably would have. Hitsugaya knew that his shikai alone wouldn't be enough to handle this Arrancar; he would have to rely on his bankai, and this time he couldn't count on finding enough time to prepare a sennen hyourou as he had last time. He saw the hell butterfly out of the corner of his eye, hoping it would get out of the area before Luppi saw it.

"Descend upon the frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!" he called, pulling his zanpakutou from its sheath as ice erupted around them both. "Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

The ice stung the wound in his back sharply as the wings formed behind him, but he didn't have time to dwell it as more of Luppi's limbs shot at him. Leaping high into the air, he watched as the limbs smashed into the ground where he'd just stood moments before. The light from the hell butterfly's small portal faded, and for a brief moment Hitsugaya worried that it hadn't gotten away in time.

"Quick, are you?" Luppi sneered. "You know, if you'd just hold still this wouldn't take all that long, and I promise to make it as painless as possible."

Hitsugaya summoned the moisture in the air about him and froze them into thin, sharp projectiles. "What does Aizen want? He's already got Inoue."

Luppi burst out in a fit of laughter, at which Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"Aizen-sama?" Luppi said, panting as the last of the laughter faded. "He has nothing to do with this, small one. This is simply me returning a favor to you from our last fight."

This was ridiculous, and Luppi was insane with revenge, Hitsugaya realized. Luppi had been one of the ones who had instigated the last battle between the Arrancar and his detail, when Inoue had been captured. There would be no negotiating out of this one. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and felt for the nearest wind current, and latching onto it with his reiatsu, he took its reigns and used it to rain the frozen spikes down at the effeminate Arrancar below, striking the ground with enough force to kick up a great deal of debris. When the dust and debris cleared, Luppi stood to the side of the small crater that Hitsugaya's ice spikes had created with a smirk.

"And where were you aiming again?" he said, just before he sent more of his limbs in Hitsugaya's direction.

With a curse, Hitsugaya's wings enveloped him in a protective barrier of ice, and he felt his feet skid on the air currents as he was pushed further away with the force of the blow. When he stopped moving, he looked up with his sword up for defense only to realize that Luppi wasn't in front of him. A cocky grunt was all the warning he had before a sharp blow struck him from behind, and when he looked down he saw the bloodied tip of one of Luppi's spikes protruding from his side. Luppi's face was just over his shoulder, smirking, breath hot along his neck. With a grimace, Hitsugaya quickly formed an ice spike in his hand, and then thrust it backwards and was rewarded with a surprised yelp of pain as it struck flesh.

"Well, that was unexpected," Luppi muttered in his ear, but the amusement wasn't out of his voice yet. "Looks like you've still got some fight left in you. Strangle him, Trepadora."

Hitsugaya wasn't sure what had happened next, but he did know that his world exploded in bright white, and when it faded he found himself face-down on the grass of a nearby park, surrounded by the shattered ice of his own bankai. He couldn't breathe. When he tried to push himself to his knees, he felt a sharp bite of pain across his shoulders and cried out breathlessly, slumping back down. _Shit_, he thought as the world blurred painfully before his eyes.

"Since you seem to like it nice and slow, I might have to oblige," Luppi said in a sing-song voice as he approached. "You're going to have to stay put, though."

Hitsugaya saw the blade of Luppi's sword – had he released his shikai? – flash in the sunlight just before the Arrancar stabbed it down into his hand, pinning it to the ground. Unable to draw the air to scream, he hissed instead as pain shot up his arm. The dragon rumbled from within in warning, and it occurred to Hitsugaya that he might actually die here if he didn't do something. Half a thought crossed his mind to just jerk his hand free, but that would do nothing to help him in the end and would damage his hand further. Instead, he tried moving his other hand forward, but stopped as the pain sparked white across his vision and then settled into a dull throb in his shoulder. Broken collarbone, most likely.

_Damn_. He had to act quickly. Summoning reiatsu for a kidou, he glared icily at Luppi and ignored the pain in his shoulder as he swung his free hand up and shot a bright burst of blue-white light from his palm at the Arrancar – _hadou thirty-three, soukatsui_. The kidou struck Luppi directly in the chest, catching him by surprise and knocking him into a tree with a strangled yelp. Panting, Hitsugaya gritted his teeth as he reached for the blade of Luppi's sword and tried tugging it out of his hand. He never quite got there as something white streaked into his vision and struck his chest with painful force, the strain on his pinned hand shooting further sparks of agony up his arm. Blinded and winded, he couldn't even look down to see what had hit him.

"Damned nuisance," Luppi snarled, coughing and getting to his feet shakily. A ring of cloth had burned away from his uniform and encircled a patch of damaged skin on the Arrancar's chest, not far above the trademark hole in his abdomen. "Fine, then. I'll make this take as long as possible."

Hitsugaya gasped for breath, the world blurring horribly and his chest burning. What the hell had he been hit with? Everything seemed far away, and Luppi sounded as if he was speaking through several layers of clothing, his ears rang so badly. He tasted something warm, coppery – blood, probably his own. Bright lights danced before his eyes, and when they faded, he thought he saw someone standing in front of him, clad in one of many familiar black-and-white haori. He distantly heard someone shout his name, but he couldn't bring his eyes to focus any longer and the world blurred into a dull gray and then nothing.

* * *

Ukitake could have cursed himself a thousand times over at this point for not coming back sooner. Hitsugaya had gone back to the Living World without backup; true, none of them had really expected there to be an Arrancar problem once Kurosaki's band had gone to Hueco Mundo, but going _anywhere_ alone these days seemed to be an invitation for trouble. Not that he could speak much for himself – he had taken a solo walk that morning, after all – but this was a different issue than a simple walk. He didn't know what purpose Hitsugaya possibly could have had in coming back here, but he could tell by the young-looking Arrancar's furious expression that this was a serious situation. 

But as serious as it was, Ukitake knew there was some hope. Hitsugaya had looked it at first with all the blood pooled around his unconscious form, but Ukitake still sensed his presence – the boy lived yet. He stood between Hitsugaya and the Arrancar, blade drawn, ready to fight if this couldn't be solved with a few simple words. Though he would much rather kill the Arrancar outright, he'd taken more than a part of the ongoing investigation into Aizen's latest dealings, and he knew full well that Arrancar were _dangerous_.

He would need more power than this. Placing both hands on the hilt of Sougyo no Kotowari, he said, "Be as the waves become my shield, be as lightning becomes my blade."

"And who the hell are you?" the Arrancar snarled.

Ukitake turned a hard glare on to the Arrancar as his sword split into two, a string with dangling wooden talismans connecting the hilts of the blades, and the blades themselves forming long, two-bladed forks.

"Thirteenth Division's taichou, Ukitake Jyuushirou. Although, I might ask the same of you," Ukitake replied coldly.

The Arrancar's lip curled to a sneer. "You're interrupting a duel of a personal nature."

"This doesn't look like a duel to me."

A bark of laughter, and then, "You damned shinigami are so nosy and arrogant. I told the small one some time ago that this would come, so it isn't as if he wasn't expecting this to happen to him. Besides, he started it; I'm not being unfair."

Ukitake raised an eyebrow. "In my own dealings with Arrancar, I have hardly found them to be fair. I have my doubts that you're any different."

"Hah, so high and mighty, lord shinigami," the Arrancar said, approaching slowly with a half-smirk turning up the edges of his lips. "Very well, then – I had no trouble handling the little captain there; I doubt I'll face any further trouble with you."

Ukitake didn't give the Arrancar a chance to attack before he launched himself forward with a _shunpo_, landing lightly behind his opponent with a grave expression. The Arrancar's eyes were wide with surprise, and then he grunted as thin cut appeared on his shoulder. Turning, Ukitake saw – with no small measure of surprise – that the Arrancar was smiling.

"Not bad," the Arrancar replied. "You just might provide as much entertainment for me as shorty over here was supposed to. And I'll even honor you with a name – I am the six—err, former sixth Espada, Luppi."

_Espada_. Ukitake remembered that term from incoming reports he'd managed to handle, and he knew that these were what Aizen was calling his highest-ranked Arrancar. The fact that this Luppi was no longer an Espada made no difference. Hitsugaya had not done well to get himself entangled with this enemy, if this fight had indeed been started over a personal issue rather than a planned attack from Aizen.

"While you are indeed a talented swordsman, Ukitake-san – that was your name, yes? – I'm afraid you've left a rather wide opening," Luppi said airily, looking pointedly at the fallen younger captain.

Ukitake flinched, and then quickly charged the Arrancar again before it could do anything to Hitsugaya. However, Luppi was ready for him, as if he'd expected the attack and had no intention of going after Hitsugaya at the moment. Ukitake's eyes widened as he saw what kind of power the Arrancar's sword held, even if Luppi wasn't actually in possession of it. Eight long, thick tentacle-limbs formed at Luppi's back, the holes in his uniform clearly intended to accommodate such a technique.

This was not going to go well unless he worked fast, Ukitake decided.

Fighting with Luppi was somewhat like sparring with Kuchiki Byakuya; against multiple blades, one had to be able to quickly deflect and parry blows, and look for that one opening. Luppi's tentacles – while quick and maneuverable – were not nearly as mobile or fast-moving as the petals of Kuchiki's senbonzakura. Ukitake was more than capable of handling this kind of an enemy, but only until his lungs gave out from his illness. A long time ago, this would have been an easy fight. Now, he had to worry about efficiency.

Fortunately for Ukitake, Luppi was rather incensed at the fact that he hadn't had a chance to finish toying with Hitsugaya, and thus his movements were predictable and brash. Ukitake simply dodged and parried around the attacks, avoiding the traps that Luppi was trying to pull him into. Instead, Ukitake slowly weaved Luppi's movements into an easy pattern, one that would limit the Arrancar's range of motion due to the nature of his weapon. Unlike Byakuya, Luppi's weapons were attached to his body.

The Arrancar realized far too late what Ukitake was planning, and in a scrambling effort to untangle his own limbs from each other, he only made the snag worse. Ukitake saw the opening, and with a _shunpo_, he eliminated Luppi's range by getting in his face with both blades of Sougyo no Kotowari brandished for a strike. Luppi's eyes widened only slightly when they met with Ukitake's, but then he smirked.

"Is that all you have, taichou?" Luppi sneered.

Ukitake was mid-swing when something struck his chest heavily, knocking him back into the grass. Gasping for air, Ukitake saw Luppi – leg raised in a finishing pose – through wavering vision. The kick had been hard enough to bruise, and Ukitake desperately tried to calm his breathing before his lungs gave him hell for it. He wasn't fast enough; lungs seizing, he couldn't hold back the sudden coughs that shook his entire frame, his chest squeezing and burning as he fought for air.

"Oh? And what have we here? Is the shinigami ill?" There was a taunting, diminutive undercurrent in Luppi's tone that made the hairs at the back of Ukitake's neck stand on end. He saw Luppi's dark shoes in the ground before him through the white fringe of his own bangs, and couldn't help but growl when he felt a hand thread through the hair at the top of his head. He cried out when Luppi harshly tugged upwards, forcing him to look up at his enemy. "You know, it isn't wise to pick fights when you're incapable of finishing them."

Through the gasping coughs, Ukitake narrowed his gaze – he might be weakened by his illness, but he would not tolerate some punk belittling what he'd worked so hard to accomplish in spite of it. Raising his hands shakily, and ignoring Luppi's amused smirk as he did so, he quickly summoned a large amount of reiatsu. Just as Luppi opened his mouth to add injury to insult, Ukitake blasted the ball of reiatsu into Luppi's chest before the Arrancar could retaliate. _Hadou sixty-three, raikouhou_. He cried out as the entangled hand jerked his hair sharply just before Luppi flew backwards in a bright flash of light, smacking with a painful _thwack_ into a tree and demolishing it in the process.

Ukitake slumped forward, supporting his weight on the palms of his hands – the only thing keeping him upright – as he stared down into the grass and wheezed, trying to get his breath back. Feeling a cough coming, he pulled his hand up and hacked wetly into his palm several times, eyes widening in a panic as he saw specks of blood fly into his palm. But he couldn't stop coughing, not even when Luppi began cursing heavily at him from a distance, and not even when he heard Hitsugaya moan from several meters away. The world before him swirled into a sea of green, and black spots clawed at the edges of his vision. Distantly, he wondered if he'd really just bruised his ribs, and then realized that he had to have overtaxed his reiatsu. At least now he knew why he had felt so unsettled that morning.

The only thing Ukitake could do at this point was cling to a fleeting hope that _someone_ from Soul Society would notice that they were gone and come looking for him. Reality slipped through his grasp.

* * *

Hitsugaya woke suddenly to a subtle rumbling in the back of his mind, the strong scent of grass and damp earth, a great deal of pain, and the sound of harsh coughing. Slowly opening his eyes, the world blurred horribly before his face, and all he could see was a great deal of green and red. A vaguely familiar voice's cursing floated towards him from a short distance away, and suddenly reality came into sharp focus as the dragon's voice called out in warning. 

He'd been in the middle of a battle, and he'd been wounded. Badly, if he had lost consciousness. But why wasn't he dead? Where was Luppi? Trepadora had been removed from his hand already, though the wound still stung as he tried to flex his fingers. Then he realized that the cursing he still heard was indeed coming from Luppi. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he slowly pushed himself up far enough to get a look at his surroundings. He was still in the park, and Luppi's voice was coming from a dusty cloud a few meters away. Had he done that? No, he didn't remember any sort of attack that would do that to Luppi, not unless Hyourinmaru had done something in his stead. Doubtful.

Someone had to have come from Soul Society, meaning the hell butterfly had made it there. Relief flooded his chest, making his supporting arm tremble with the sudden release of adrenaline. But then he remembered hearing coughing – slowly turning his head (not too quickly, his aching collarbone reminded him), his eyes widened and his breath caught as he saw who had come to his aid.

_Ukitake-taichou!_

The older captain lay stomach-down in the grass, shaking with a horrible coughing fit. Hitsugaya knew that Ukitake often suffered from such attacks related to his illness, and knew that every time they occurred Unohana-taichou had to be called in. From the look of it, Ukitake had come alone, and by the wet sound of the coughs, Hitsugaya knew the older captain was in trouble.

_What the hell–?_

"Goddamned shinigami and their fucking kidou!"

Hitsugaya's attention snapped back to the cloud of dust, which slowly cleared to show Luppi's many-limbed outline struggling to stand in the midst of a pile of debris. Leaves and chunks of bark clung to the Arrancar's clothing and hair, and if Hitsugaya hadn't known better, he would have found the sight to be rather amusing. As the dust cleared further, Hitsugaya noticed that Luppi's chest was covered in blood from a nasty-looking wound, and that the Arrancar was having trouble staying steady on his feet.

"I'm going to fucking kill the both of you!"

_Shit_. Hitsugaya knew he was far from capable of handling this problem now, and tried desperately to summon enough reiatsu for a communications kidou that he knew he'd never be able to pull off. He thought he just might barely be able to manage a binding bakudou, and thus focused the gathered reiatsu for such a purpose instead.

_Bakudou seventy-five, gochuu tekan!_

Light shot from his hands and struck Luppi, who yelped as he realized he'd been hit again. With a frustrated yell, Luppi began cursing all the more. Hitsugaya was glad that words had no more power in Luppi's case other than an attempt to intimidate; otherwise he knew that he and Ukitake would be condemned to several of the eighteen levels of hell had Luppi had his say.

Aside from binding the Arrancar, Hitsugaya really didn't have a plan of action once the bakudou wore off. He knew he couldn't fight properly in this condition; even the thought of summoning Hyourinmaru once more caused the dragon to issue a terse warning in the back of his mind against such an attempt. Truthfully, he wasn't even sure he had enough stamina left to summon a portal back to Soul Society, much less a hell butterfly to relay a message back home. Ukitake was also down and in trouble, and was less likely than he was to be able to walk.

Gods, this was such a mess.

Rising slowly, he winced as his injuries made it damn well known that they were not happy about the movement. He didn't have a choice. Experimentally placing weight on his feet, his knees shook horribly but held him up. Taking deliberately slow and careful steps, he staggered his way over to Ukitake's side, hoping that the bakudou would hold long enough for him to be able to put some distance between him and his enemies. There were only two places he could think to run to, and neither of them were terribly close by – Kurosaki's clinic was likely out of the question, considering that it was halfway across town. Urahara's shop was closer, but it could have been just as far as Kurosaki's clinic for all the good the distance did him in his current state.

Just as Hitsugaya reached out to Ukitake to check on him, a sudden burst of light behind him startled him, and he turned too quickly with a hand on Hyourinmaru's hilt and nearly fell. Breathing heavily, his eyes widened as he saw the pillar of light that lead straight from Luppi's position on the ground to Hueco Mundo's gaping maw in the middle of the sky. Negation. Were more of them coming?

Apparently so; a much larger Arrancar poked his head from the seam with a glare. Hitsugaya recognized the Arrancar with horror and dread as the Arrancar that had faced Urahara during the previous scuffle with their kind.

"Luppi, you damned fool, what the bloody hell are you doing?" the Arrancar shouted down with a scowl, completely ignoring Hitsugaya's presence.

Luppi's face scowled back up, but his body didn't move – the bakudou was still in effect, much to Hitsugaya's relief. "Fuck you, Yammi! Can't you damn well see that I'm in the middle of something here?"

"You're not accomplishing much by laying around like the lazy bastard you are!" Luppi growled, but Yammi continued before a retort could be issued. "Aizen-sama wants a word with you, dumbass. I told you that you shouldn't have gone storming off – you would've been in a hell of a lot less trouble if you hadn't!"

Luppi swore impressively at that, then glared over at Hitsugaya. "This isn't over, shorty," he hissed. Turning his attention back up to Yammi, he shouted, "Give me a second!"

"Need a little help?" Yammi was smirking.

"Fuck you!"

But despite his proud protests, Luppi's tangled limbs were lifted into the air and disappeared into the seam along with Yammi. Hitsugaya waited until the seam had closed entirely before he pulled his hand away from Hyourinmaru and sighed shakily. He couldn't help but feel insanely lucky to have his own enemies come to his aid, but at the same time, the thought stung. He hadn't been strong enough, and if these were simply Aizen's subordinates, Aizen was a great dealer stronger than they'd ever imagined him to be. Soul Society was in for a great deal of trouble.

And Soul Society would be short two captains if he didn't do something soon, he realized as agony shot through his chest in a painful reminder of his current predicament. With the adrenaline slowly leaking out of his system, he felt a great deal weaker than he'd thought he would feel, but he knew that if he kept thinking that way, he'd never make it. Stooping carefully, he grabbed one of Ukitake's hands with his injured one – he couldn't move his left arm at all now without his shoulder screaming in protest – and painfully dragged it across his shoulders. The pressure on his fractured collarbone and ribs was excruciating, but once the stars cleared from his vision, he hoped he could manage.

Ukitake was thankfully unconscious and was no longer coughing, but Hitsugaya didn't miss the small trickle of blood coming from the older man's mouth. That couldn't be a good sign for someone with a lung illness. Taking a few slow, staggering steps, Hitsugaya braced himself both mentally and physically for a long walk ahead.

The park entrance had never looked so far away.

* * *

_**.to be continued.**_

* * *


	2. Part II

_Disclaimer: Bleach and all affiliated characters and settings belong to Kubo Tite and all companies holding the license to its distribution. I'm just borrowing them for a bit._

_I almost titled this story "Hitsugaya's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," but that too is copyright infringement no matter how apt the description._

_Warnings: more violence/whumpage/blood, language, and some fluff (from me? Yes, that's a warning.)  
_

* * *

**_Part II_**

To say that Kyouraku Shunsui found captain's meetings to be dull and depressing these days was an understatement. Everyone already knew that the Arrancar were a serious threat and that Aizen was still a growing problem, and that there were strong recommendations to keep tabs on their divisions' members in order to avoid casualties. Any new information had typically already made its rounds among the captains' offices before it ever got to a meeting. Hell, Shunsui even knew about the orange-haired ryoka boy's brash raid on Hueco Mundo already.

He had a feeling this meeting would be no different. Nanao-chan was being mean that day and wouldn't let him sit this one out, despite his _very valid_ protests of a bad hangover. She told him it was a lesson learned – no partying the night before a morning meeting. Well, she was no fun at all, he decided morosely as he massaged his aching forehead with his fingertips. But when Nanao-chan ordered, he couldn't help but obey.

With a sigh, he took his typical route to the meeting past Jyuushirou's quarters a few minutes early to see if good ol' Shirou-chan was well enough to attend the meeting that day. His friend typically brightened the dark gloom of an impending meeting with a smile and a joking word of encouragement, which Shunsui almost didn't want to hear anyway right now. What he really wanted was to see if Jyuushirou would kindly slip him a painkiller for his headache, since Nanao-chan had stubbornly refused to let him take anything for the hangover to "teach him a lesson" (lovely woman she was, but oh so stubborn).

With a fist, he rapped his knuckles quietly against the frame of the shoji leading to Jyuushirou's quarters. He didn't want to wake Shirou-chan if he was asleep (and he also couldn't tolerate the noise himself). When nobody answered, he tried again, a little louder. He heard nothing. Shrugging, he gripped the edge of the shoji and slid it open a crack, just enough to look inside. Much to his surprise, the futon had already been made and was in the corner, and nobody was there. Hadn't been for hours, from the look of it.

_Huh_. Perhaps he was sick enough to go to Unohana's quarters; if that was the case, Shunsui was a little worried. He hated it when Jyuushirou was sick, because he knew how much the other captain hated such an outward sign of weakness. Shunsui knew better – Jyuushirou was far from weak, illness aside – but sometimes he wondered if Jyuushirou saw that. He would stop by the fourth division on the way; hopefully Unohana hadn't left yet.

Shunsui was more than surprised, then, to find that his white-haired friend hadn't been seen at all that day.

"Ukitake-taichou took his medicine this morning, according to Kiyone. She said he might have gone out for a walk earlier, but she hasn't seen him since," Unohana said.

Shunsui frowned. "Huh, is that so?"

"It's still a little early, Kyouraku-taichou. He might already be at the meeting room," Unohana tried to say soothingly, but Shunsui couldn't help but notice the subtle worry in her expression. "And if we don't hurry, we might end up being late ourselves."

"Aa, shall we?"

The pair walked quickly through the hallways to the assembly room, and made it just before Yamamoto-soutaichou took his place at the head of the row of captains and fill-in lieutenants waiting there. Aside from the obviously missing ex-captains – Aizen, Tousen, Ichimaru – Shunsui's concern grew as he saw that Jyuushirou was missing from the meeting, as was young Hitsugaya. And when everyone else seemed just as confused as he was at the absences, Shunsui knew something was wrong.

He didn't care that Yamamoto-soutaichou had started the meeting; he didn't even hear the older man's voice – nor the surprised exclamations from the other attendants – as he simply turned and left the room. Heading straight over to the tenth division, Shunsui tracked down Matsumoto, who was napping on the couch in Hitsugaya's office.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou," Shunsui said, feeling a small sting of guilt as she started and nearly fell off the couch in surprise.

"Kyouraku-taichou!" she exclaimed, straightening the front of her gi with a sheepish smile. "Oh goodness, you've caught me red-handed. Please don't tell Hitsugaya-taichou about this!"

He tried to smile for her, really he did, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Matsumoto's smile faded when she saw the serious expression. "That shouldn't be an issue, since Hitsugaya-taichou seems to be missing at the moment."

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. "Well, he said he had an errand to run in the Living World, but that he'd be back just in time for the captain's meeting. He wasn't planning on coming here until after that finished..." She trailed off, eyes widening in sudden realization. "He didn't show up at the meeting?"

Shunsui shook his head solemnly, and now Matsumoto looked truly worried. "I was hoping you could help me locate him; it appears that both he and Ukitake-taichou have been missing since early this morning."

"I'm afraid that all I can tell you is that I last saw Hitsugaya-taichou going through a portal back to the Living World just after dawn," Matsumoto said uncomfortably. "I wasn't expecting to see him until this afternoon, but it sounds like there might be a problem."

Shunsui grunted in agreement, and saw that Matsumoto was itching to go look for her captain. She had to be just as worried as he was that something had gone wrong that morning with none of them the wiser; it would only be fair to include the poor lieutenant in the search he was currently planning in his mind. He hadn't traveled to the mortal realm in quite some time, and Matsumoto would be more likely to know where to look anyway.

"Send a hell butterfly to the captain's meeting with my apologies, and then come meet me in the back gardens," Shunsui ordered. Matsumoto's eyes narrowed seriously, and she nodded sharply.

She met him in the gardens not five minutes later with Kiyone and Ikkaku in tow, all three wearing grave expressions. Shunsui nodded his greeting to the two newcomers – the extra eyes would be more than welcome in this search – and then turned and concentrated his reiatsu into the portal's kidou. The antiquated door appeared before them with a small gust of wind, opening to reveal a brightly-lit passageway. The four shinigami stepped through, hoping fervently that this was simply a misunderstanding that they were walking into.

* * *

Hitsugaya didn't know how long it had been, or even how far he'd walked – all he knew was that he had to keep placing one step in front of the other, to keep moving forward. Breath came in harsh, painful bursts, and his vision wavered dangerously with every step he took. But he couldn't stop now; with each step, he was one step closer to Urahara's, and to help. If he stopped moving now... 

No. He was going to get there – both of them – _alive_. It didn't matter that Ukitake's skin had taken on a sheen from sweat, or that his body was radiating heat at a dangerous temperature. It didn't matter that Hitsugaya could barely breathe himself, and that his body was shaking horribly under the strain of carrying someone that was likely almost twice his weight.

And it didn't matter that the gods were clearly against him, sending a flash-typhoon after him on his way to Urahara's. At least it meant that the roads were practically deserted on this half of town What the hell had happened to the nice weather from earlier that morning? His vision cleared a little. Ah, something constructive to think about – cursing the weather all the way from here to Urahara's.

Wherever _here_ was.

With a sinking feeling, Hitsugaya suddenly realized that he was absolutely lost. Moving forward perhaps hadn't been the best of ideas; he knew that there had to have been a few turns involved for the route to Urahara's. Goddamn it all. Painfully turning around, Hitsugaya's sandal slipped on a patch of wet asphalt and sent him crashing to one knee. His vision whited out with a burst of pain, and when it returned, he was surprised that he hadn't dropped Ukitake in the process. He'd dropped the poor man the last time he'd fallen.

Grunting in frustration, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, trying not to think about how badly his knees were shaking. Ukitake's dead weight wasn't helping that matter any, but there was no way in hell he was going to leave an ill Ukitake alone in this weather. It would kill the man. His shoulder was throbbing horribly now, and he knew that the strain couldn't be good for his broken collarbone. He still tasted blood in the back of his throat, and despite the fact that it was pouring rain around him, Hitsugaya's mouth was so dry that it felt as though it was stuffed with cotton.

Unless he found his way soon, he wasn't going to make it back to Urahara's on his own power.

Hitsugaya couldn't help but feel a rush of relief when he saw a bus stop not terribly far ahead. The bench was underneath an overhang, and as long as nobody else showed up there for a ride and sat on them, they should be okay long enough for Hitsugaya to try to summon the reiatsu to send another hell butterfly back to Soul Society with a plea for help. Settling Ukitake into one of the seats, he plopped harshly into an adjacent spot with a hiss of pain. For a few moments, all he could hear were the sounds of the rain pounding against the ground and his own harsh breathing. He wasn't sure he could do this; Hyourinmaru bristled in the back of his mind at the thought.

_There's no harm in trying_.

Taking as deep of a breath as his injured ribs would allow, he closed his eyes and held his hands out in front of him, focusing his reiatsu into them as he called for a hell butterfly. It took at least twice as long as it should have, but he was rewarded for his efforts with the light touch of a hell butterfly's delicate feet brushing his outstretched hands. Opening his eyes wearily, he allowed himself the smallest of wry grins as he relayed the message – and a location, now that he saw the bus stop's sign, and goddamn he was completely off the mark – and sent the butterfly away. As the light from its own small portal vanished, he leaned back into the seat with a wince to wait, trying hard not to let his drooping eyes shut.

It wasn't more than a few moments later when he felt a strong presence behind him. Before he could even think about how damned fast the response was, Hyourinmaru growled in urgent warning just fast enough for Hitsugaya to grab Ukitake and propel the both of them away from the bench with a weak _shunpo_ that only took them as far as across the street as the bench exploded behind him.

_You have _got _to be kidding me._ Hitsugaya groaned when he saw the grinning porcelain mask of a Hollow over the cloud of debris from the bus stop. By all appearances, it wasn't a high-level Hollow by any means, but _goddamn_ the timing couldn't have been any worse. Of all the times to run into a Hollow–

_It was the hell butterfly summon, wasn't it? It had to have attracted it_, Hitsugaya realized suddenly. What a foolish move that had been. He settled Ukitake down on the sidewalk and pulled Hyourinmaru from his sheath at his back with several colorful words under his breath. Thankful for the adrenaline rush that was keeping him on his feet, he knew it wouldn't last long; he had to finish this fight quickly.

_Help me, dragon_.

Hyourinmaru rumbled softly in agreement from the back of his mind, but even then Hitsugaya knew that his zanpakutou could only help him as far as he could draw from its power with his own. And he didn't have much left to offer.

"Descend upon the frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!" he commanded, unsettled at how badly his own voice quivered. Releasing his shikai was excruciating as it drew on his heavily-taxed reserves, the ice causing him to shiver despite his typical tolerance for lower temperatures. He gripped the metal crescent in his left hand, hoping he wouldn't have to use both hands to hang onto the sword's hilt.

The Hollow screeched angrily as it saw its prey gearing up for a fight, and Hitsugaya jumped away from Ukitake so that the Hollow would follow him away from the sick and unconscious captain. It was the only way he could think to keep Ukitake out of the line of fire for the fight he knew was coming his way.

Fortunately for him, the Hollow was fairly slow and cumbersome, and while that normally would give Hitsugaya an entirely unfair advantage, Hitsugaya was just glad that he could keep one half-step ahead of it. When the Hollow swung at him, he jumped over the Hollow's arm and flung the crescent at the end of the chain with a shout – from pain, frustration, determination, all three. The crescent struck the Hollow's shoulder, a foot off from where Hitsugaya was aiming, but it worked well enough as the beast's arm froze in place anyway. Landing in a crouch, Hitsugaya used a _shunpo_ to get in close enough to the Hollow's mask to make a difference and swung the blade as hard as he could manage, hoping it was enough to split the mask.

He never got there – a sudden, sharp burst of pain struck his side, just under his arm, in a spray of red. With horror he realized that the Hollow's other hand had formed a blade, and he'd left himself wide open to the attack. Coughing harshly, he felt blood well up from his throat as he glared at the rapidly blurring Hollow.

"H-Hitsugaya!" he heard a weak cry from behind.

_Ukitake,_ he remembered, but he couldn't do anything to help now. _Gods, I'm so sorry._

The Hollow's mask exploded in a bright flash of white light, followed by a piercing screech that left Hitsugaya's ears ringing, and when Hitsugaya's vision cleared, he found himself on his back on the ground with Ukitake's concerned, haggard-looking face over his. The Hollow was gone. Ukitake's eyes widened when their eyes met, and he tried to tell Ukitake to take it easy but he couldn't find the breath to form the words. Ukitake's bloodied lips were moving, but no sound was coming out of them over the ringing and rushing of blood in his ears, and Hitsugaya realized that he was no longer hurting quite so much. Hyourinmaru was growling at him with a great deal of urgency, but he didn't have the strength to reassure the dragon before everything faded.

* * *

The long search was a blurry memory for Matsumoto. She remembered that they had looked damn near everywhere their Living World mission had taken them, and still were unable to find a sign of either missing captain until they'd gone to the park Hitsugaya often visited when he'd needed to get away from the city buzz (and the two insane females he'd been coerced into staying with). There were several flattened trees and torn-up patches of grass and dirt there, but most troubling to Matsumoto was the discovery of patches of blood in the grass. 

Kyouraku-taichou had told her not to worry, that bloody grass was a much more encouraging find than dead bodies. It meant that they were more than likely able to walk under their own power after the fight, he'd explained. But that answer didn't satisfy Matsumoto; they just as easily could have been abducted or killed in such a strong attack that it completely vaporized their bodies. Worry clawed viciously at Matsumoto's stomach, almost to the point of making her ill. After that, they'd followed a trail of blood – _See what I meant? They were able to move afterwards after all_, Kyouraku had said – that started leading in the direction of Urahara's shop, but had missed the proper turn. How did they know they were following the right set of tracks anyway? What if this had been a completely unrelated scuffle?

No, something told her that they were indeed on the right track. That much was confirmed as soon as Kiyone received a communication from her sister Isane, with the help of a bakudou. A hell butterfly had arrived in Soul Society with an urgent message for help and a bus stop name, but nothing more.

Matsumoto knew the bus stop, and before Kiyone finished relaying the news, she'd already broken into a run. It was definitely a call from Hitsugaya, and that fact alone caused her a great deal of concern. Hitsugaya only called for help if he was in serious trouble, or in a situation he knew he couldn't handle alone.

Her heart nearly stopped when she spotted them ahead – both of them. Ukitake was sitting on the ground coughing heavily into his hand, and next to him on the ground – _far too still_ – was Hitsugaya. The others in her search party caught up to her where she stopped, and with only a small hesitation, Kyouraku had rushed forward, calling Ukitake's name in alarm. Kiyone was already preparing to use her communication kidou to get an immediate update back to Soul Society. Matsumoto came out of her shock when Ikkaku suddenly – uncharacteristically – put a hand on her back reassuringly.

"Shorty's counting on you, Rangiku," he said with a frown.

Matsumoto nodded and ran forward. _Oh gods_, there was a lot of blood. Hitsugaya's face was far too still, and for the briefest moment she thought he was dead. Ukitake's captain's haori was bundled and pressed against Hitsugaya's side, the white quickly turning red. Peeling it back cautiously, Matsumoto whimpered softly in sympathy when she saw the wound.

"H-Help... Hitsugaya first," Ukitake was telling Kyouraku between wheezes.

"Don't talk," Kyouraku snapped as he pulled a satchel of Ukitake's medicine from a pouch inside the sleeve of his gi. "Matsumoto-fukutaichou is taking a look."

"We need Unohana-taichou," Matsumoto said sternly.

Kyouraku nodded as he helped Ukitake swallow the medicine. "Ikkaku, can you–?"

"On it," Ikkaku said from behind Matsumoto. She heard the rustle of cloth as he turned and began chanting the words to the complicated portal-summoning kidou, relieved to know that his skills had improved far enough for him to be capable of such a feat.

Matsumoto carefully moved her hands under Hitsugaya's neck and knees, pulling him into a rescue-carry and hoping she wasn't jarring his wounds too badly. Kyouraku helped Ukitake to his feet and acted as a human crutch, and once the portal was open, Ikkaku stood aside to allow them to pass into Soul Society first. Matsumoto didn't stop running until she made it to the fourth division's quarters.

* * *

Only after being reassured for the umpteenth time that day that Hitsugaya wasn't at death's door, Ukitake breathed a careful sigh and settled back down to rest as he'd been ordered to. He had wanted to go see the younger captain, but had been told that Hitsugaya was resting and already had a near-permanent visitor with him. Matsumoto's loyalty to her captain was touching. Even so, he was restless; his own injuries only amounted to cracked ribs – which did aggravate his lungs and drained him of his energy, but it wasn't as serious as it had felt at the time – and a few strained muscles. He knew that he hadn't been worse off only because Hitsugaya had managed to defend him – _twice_. And here he had thought he was the one doing the saving. _Hah_. 

It had occurred to him then that Hitsugaya had a great deal more potential than he'd originally realized. Oh, he knew long ago that the boy was a genius and was incredibly talented – hell, he was the youngest captain the Gotei Thirteen had ever seen – but at the same time, he hadn't really thought about the fact that Hitsugaya was strong and mature, even more so than many of his colleagues. And that gave Ukitake a new level of respect for the young man. Yamamoto-soutaichou had done a good job in spotting him.

Ukitake owed the young man his life now, and that made him anxious to see Hitsugaya in order to offer his thanks in person.

A soft knock on the door frame caught his attention, and looking up, he saw Shunsui's smiling face through the crack in the shoji. He hadn't even heard the door slide open, he'd been so lost in his own thoughts.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting, Shirou-chan?" Shunsui asked in a playful tone.

Ukitake grunted, wincing slightly as the small action hurt his ribs. "I am resting. And I told you not to call me that – Hinamori-chan would be upset to find that you've stolen her pet name for Hitsugaya-kun," he replied.

Shunsui chuckled. "I suppose she'll have to deal with it, then." He took a step into the room, sliding the door closed behind him before he came and knelt down next to Ukitake's futon. "How are you feeling?"

"Restless," Ukitake said truthfully.

"It has been three days; anyone would be squirming after being told to sit still for that long," Shunsui said. "But you're going to have to put up with it; Unohana said that you needed to take it easy for the next couple of weeks so your ribs can heal properly."

Ukitake sighed again. "That's not what I'm worried about, Shunsui."

"Hitsugaya is still unconscious, but Unohana thinks he should be waking up any day now."

So he did know why Ukitake was worried. "I'm still worried about him."

Shunsui nodded sympathetically. "I know, my friend. But if the great Unohana-taichou says that he'll be fine, then he will be just fine. Doctors are pessimistic people, don't you know?"

"I heard that," Unohana's voice said softly from behind the shoji, causing Shunsui to jump.

"U-Unohana-taichou!" Shunsui's hand found its way to the back of his head, scratching an itch Ukitake knew wasn't there. "You surprised me!"

Unohana entered the room with a soft smile on her lips and a tea service tray in her hands. "I thought I'd find you here, Kyouraku-taichou. It's a good thing; I wanted to let you both know that Hitsugaya woke up half an hour ago."

Ukitake hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he released it heavily in relief. "Thank the gods," he murmured.

"I know you're anxious to see him, Ukitake, but I'd like to see him to rest a little longer before I let guests flood his room. Hinamori is also anxious to see him."

Ukitake nodded in understanding; he could wait, now that he knew Hitsugaya's condition was definitely improving. "Thank you, Unohana-taichou," he said with a solemn nod.

She set the tray down next to the futon with a nod, moving the folds of Ukitake's sleeping yukata aside to get a better look at the injury. With the bandages removed, Ukitake saw Shunsui flinch at the sight of the harsh-looking bruises around his side, but neither said a word as Unohana placed her hands over the bruises and concentrated a soothing kidou into the injury.

"The bones are on the mend," Unohana reported after she'd replaced the bindings, "and you should be feeling functional in another couple of days. But even so, I'd still like you to finish out that bed rest I prescribed earlier. Your lungs could use the rest."

Ukitake nodded as he pulled the yukata back over his shoulders, thanking her again. Shunsui scrambled to get out of Unohana's way after she stood, and she left the room with a "take care" over her shoulder. Shunsui sighed this time.

"Tea?" Ukitake offered, reaching for the tray.

"Oh, allow me," Shunsui replied, taking the teapot from the tray before Ukitake could reach it. "You're the injured one."

Ukitake smiled with a hint of embarrassment, but he let Shunsui serve him anyway. He was glad to have a little company, and Shunsui was good at lifting his grayer moods. They chatted amiably for several minutes, when suddenly Shunsui sat up straight with a horrified expression. Ukitake raised an eyebrow, but then immediately understood when he too felt the fiery blaze of an approaching reiatsu.

"Kyouraku-taichou!" a sharp feminine voice called from down the hall.

"Nanao-chan," Shunsui whispered, eyes wide in terror. Ukitake couldn't stifle the amused chuckle that escaped his careful guard. "She's after me to do the paperwork again! Quick, Shirou-chan, come up with an excuse for me!"

"I'm afraid I can't help you there," Ukitake replied with a vaguely apologetic laugh. "Sounds like you might be on your own for this one."

Shunsui downed his tea in one gulp – grimacing as he likely realized that it was still hot – and quickly scrambled to his feet and out the door with a short wave of farewell over his shoulder.

"Nanao-chaaan!" he said in his best piteous voice as he padded down the hall after his lieutenant. "Do you have no mercy for a man who was worried sick about his dear, dear friend and had to visit him?"

Ukitake grabbed his aching ribs as he laughed, unable to stop himself. Leave it to Shunsui to give him something to smile about, really. But to tell the truth, he was mostly relieved to hear that Hitsugaya would make a full recovery, and had every intention of visiting the young man as soon as he was given permission to do so. Of course, he'd have to stop by the candy store first...

* * *

It had only been one day since he'd awoken in a fourth division futon, and already Hitsugaya was ready to break out of there. It didn't matter that he hurt like hell, or that he knew that he realistically couldn't even stand steady without assistance. All that mattered was the fact that he was most assuredly going to kill the next person who walked in with a stuffed animal or bag of candy, even if he had to do it with lasers coming out of his eyes, just like that thing he'd seen on Inoue's television. 

Gods, how he wished he could do that. Really. Because of the nature of his injuries, he was stuck flat on his back and tucked under covers with instructions to lay still. Mind powers or _anything_ of that nature would have been a great deal of help in his current predicament. And it didn't help that Matsumoto laughed uproariously every time someone new left the room after leaving a present for the recovering "little taichou." She was laughing now. It made him want to smack her, which he'd threatened to do on more than one occasion already; she clearly didn't believe him. Not that he could carry out such a threat anyway. Wasn't she supposed to be sleeping?

"Matsumoto, if you don't shut the _hell _up–"

"I'm sorry, Taichou!" she wailed between guffaws. "It's just so _funny_ to see you try to try to act so polite even though I know you're pissed as hell!"

Hitsugaya groaned and shut his eyes, wishing he could do the same with his burning ears. Damn it, if they thought this was a healthy way to recover, then they all were so damned wrong. They all thought they were being so damned helpful and thoughtful – if they only had any idea...

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Hitsugaya finally asked through gritted teeth. "You look like shit."

Matsumoto wiped at her eyes, trying not to laugh even more. "My, my, aren't we crabby?" she said too sweetly.

"Don't patronize me!"

She giggled again without another word, and Hitsugaya wondered what the hell she found so damn funny. Before he could open his mouth to snap at her again, there was a knock at the door.

"What?" Hitsugaya roared.

"Hitsugaya-kun...?"

_Oh shit. _ He _felt _the blood drain from his face – he'd just yelled at Hinamori. Shooting a seething glare at Matsumoto – who looked like she was about to explode, her face was so red – he cleared his throat and unsuccessfully tried to wipe the scowl off his face.

"Come in, Hinamori," he said, tone flat. At least he hadn't yelled again. Damn it, he was too tired for this.

She slid the door open and peeked hesitantly into the room before she stepped inside and closed the shoji behind her. Approaching Hitsugaya's bedside with a concerned look on her face, Hitsugaya sighed.

"I'm not going to break, Hinamori," he said.

With a nod from Matsumoto, Hinamori knelt beside Hitsugaya's futon across from Matsumoto and looked as though she wanted to take his hand, but stopped when she saw that it was swathed in bandages. Instead, she concentrated her gaze on her hands, which were folded in her lap. She looked like she was about to cry, and that made Hitsugaya shift uncomfortably. He hated it when she cried.

"I'm so sorry, Hitsugaya-kun," she finally managed to say, voice quivering with unshed tears.

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow and looked to Matsumoto for help. Matsumoto – suddenly somber, Hitsugaya noticed with an inward growl – took a deep breath and gave him an encouraging smile and a pat on his covered leg before she stood and left the room.

"There's no need for you to be sorry, Hinamori," Hitsugaya said in a low voice. "I'm fine. And besides, you can't think that this was your fault."

"But I was the one who asked you to save Aizen-taichou," Hinamori cried, and this time tears did fall from her eyes. "Unohana-taichou said it was one of his that did this to you – and if I hadn't asked you to save him, you wouldn't... you wouldn't have..."

"Hinamori," Hitsugaya interrupted her, reaching out for her hand with his bandaged one. She flinched, but didn't pull away. "This had nothing to do with your request, or you. If it was anyone's fault, it was my own for being so careless."

Hinamori sniffled, wiping furiously at her face with her free hand. "It's not your fault that you almost died!" she sobbed.

With a sigh, Hitsugaya squeezed her hand. "Hinamori, look. I'm okay, Ukitake-taichou is okay, and in a couple weeks hardly anyone will remember that this happened. Just... just don't blame yourself for this, all right? It isn't your fault that Aizen defected and created these things. He'd been planning this long before he met you. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Hinamori didn't look consoled by Hitsugaya's reassurances, but she tried to smile for him anyway. He appreciated the effort; it was a start. She squeezed his hand back a little too hard, and he couldn't help but wince. Hinamori's eyes widened with horror.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Hitsugaya-kun!" she exclaimed, trying to snatch her hand away.

"N-No, it's okay," Hitsugaya said with a grunt, holding her hand tightly. "It doesn't hurt that much. Really."

_Just stay here with me for a moment_, he found himself wanting to say, but unable to. Hinamori seemed to understand anyway; she nodded, and sat quietly by his side.

"So, what else has been going on since I've been out?" he asked, hoping to take her mind off the current situation.

"Oh!" Hinamori's eyes widened as she brushed the last of her tears away, and then she launched into a full report of all the goings-on and gossip around Soul Society that she'd managed to glean of late.

Good, he thought, it was working. He tried to pay attention to her excited babbling, but he was feeling drained and couldn't help it as his eyes drifted shut after a few moments. Unohana-taichou was right in saying that he'd be tired easily for a while. When Hinamori brushed his bangs from his face with a gentle hand, he had half a mind to murmur an apology, but she shushed him.

"Rest, Hitsugaya-kun," she said, sounding a little less upset. As he heard her leave the room, he couldn't help the small smile that found its way to his lips before he fell asleep.

* * *

Matsumoto found herself walking down the fourth division's corridor for the third time in the last hour, and realized that she was indeed feeling a little too restless. Unohana had gone in to do a check-up on Hitsugaya, and Ukitake had been brought in as well. That was over an hour ago, and Matsumoto began to worry that her fears that Hitsugaya's injuries had actually worsened were true and that he was in the middle of intensive care. 

But she knew that couldn't be the case, or there would be a lot more noise in the corridor, she realized. Shaking her head at her own silly conjectures, she sighed and forced herself to go back to Hitsugaya's office to actually work on some paperwork. He could consider it a 'get well' present, since he clearly didn't like anything else that had been brought. But again, it wasn't Hitsugaya's fault that most of the presents so far had consisted of stuffed toys and sweet things, as if people were daring to anger the smaller captain. It really had been amusing, though Matsumoto knew that most of her laughter at the time had been from giddy relief rather than pure amusement. Thinking back on it, she felt a little guilty that she'd given Hitsugaya such a hard time.

Just as she'd found her way to the end of the corridor, she heard a door slide open behind her, and Unohana's voice called her name.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou, you can come in now if you'd like," Unohana said.

Matsumoto flinched like a robber caught with loot, then turned with a sheepish grin plastered on her face. They must have sensed her restless pacing outside the hallway the entire time she'd been there. Ukitake offered her a small nod of greeting as he left the room and slipped past the fourth division's captain with a quiet word of thanks.

"Thank you," Matsumoto said with an apologetic bow as Unohana held the door open for her.

Hitsugaya was sitting up now, leaning back against a stack of pillows against the wall with an unreadable expression on his face. Unohana closed the door behind her, leaving the two tenth division leaders to themselves, and Matsumoto sauntered her way over to Hitsugaya's side.

"How are you feeling, Taichou?" she asked cheerfully.

"Better," Hitsugaya said, his tone almost disbelieving. Matsumoto's smile faltered.

"Are... are you okay?"

He looked up at her with a flat expression, except for his eyes. She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips – she hadn't seen that look in a very long time, and it made her realize how much she'd missed it during the scramble over the coming war that Aizen had promised. There was a fire there in Hitsugaya's pale green eyes, something one wouldn't expect to find in someone whose element was ice and wind. He looked... encouraged, in such a way she hadn't seen before.

He let a short breath out through his nose. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm great," he said, a small smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.

It was an expression she never forgot every time she saw it – the one that first made her realize just how much strength there was in that small body of his. For all her teasing about the nature of the gifts making statements about his youthful appearance, she really couldn't deny the fact that Hitsugaya-taichou – when you really looked closely – had old eyes.

Ukitake must have finally realized what she'd know for a very long time: Hitsugaya wasn't a child – he was every bit grown up as any of the other captains were. He had worked so hard to get to where he was, and he had gone through so much to reach this point. Matsumoto wondered if any of the other Gotei Thirteen leaders understood who exactly they had for an ally in Hitsugaya Toushirou. And now, Hitsugaya was finally seeing himself in a different light; this was especially encouraging in light of the fact that Matsumoto _knew_ Hitsugaya had been beating himself up over what he saw as his own shortcomings in the nearly fatal blow Aizen had dealt him, the initial Arrancar attack that had left him badly wounded, and Inoue's capture.

Matsumoto genuinely smiled back; she didn't want him to think she was patronizing him this time, especially since she meant it.

"I'm glad," she said.

Hitsugaya-taichou would recover just fine.

* * *

_**.end?.**_

* * *

_Well, that's the end of this particular story, at any rate. I do have plans for a string of stories off this particular idea (Luppi still wants his revenge, after all!), such as an _actual_ conclusion to the fight between Luppi and Hitsugaya... but not just yet. If at all. (I am a horribly lazy person. Trufax.)_

_Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this and leave a comment, either here or at LJ! Any further comments are always greatly appreciated. :3  
_


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